Using the Edinburgh Visual Gait Score to assess gait in children with cerebral palsy: a feasibility evaluation

Background/Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the use and scope of observational gait analysis in every-day physiotherapy practice. The Edinburgh Visual Gait Score (EVGS) is proposed as a simple and cost-effective tool for use in every-day practice, when instrumented gait analysis (IGA) is not available. The primary goal was the evaluation of the feasibility of the use of the EVGS in the assessment of the gait of children with cerebral palsy (CP) and the second was to assess whether the EVGS was sensitive enough to note changes following intervention. Finally, the relationship between the EVGS scores and the 10m walk-test performance was examined. Methods: A feasibility study was conducted using the EVGS, the 10m walk-test and simplified video analysis software. Ten children with CP were recruited from two private physiotherapy practices in Greece. Findings: The EVGS was a quick and easy to use tool when assessing the gait pattern of children with CP. A Wilcoxon test showed a statistically significant improvement in the total EVGS score (left side: z= -2.395, p=0.017, right side: z=-2.392, p=0.017) following a two-month course of physiotherapy treatment. The Spearman's correlation test showed no statistically significant correlation between the EVGS scores and the walking speed. Conclusions: It was feasible to use the EVGS in children with CP to assess the treatment outcome on gait parameters after intervention. It may be sensitive enough to note changes after two months of physiotherapy intervention. Our results indicate that the difference in movement quality does not always relate to walking speed. Future researchers should investigate the relationship between the two.